Two defence force members arrested for libel, anti-gay comments posted on Facebook

A military police probe into a Facebook page that allegedly belittled gay and lesbian members of the Canadian Armed Forces and other minorities has led to two arrests.

A Canadian Forces spokeswoman confirmed Thursday that two members at CFB Petawawa in Ontario were arrested Jan. 22 in connection with an investigation into “allegations of defamation and inappropriate comments” on a private Facebook page titled “Cpl Bloggins.”

“They were arrested for defamatory libel under the National Defence Act pursuant to the Criminal Code of Canada and use of improper comments under the Military Code of Service Discipline,” said Capt. Joanna Labonte in an email.

A same-sex military couple in the Comox Valley of British Columbia say they were among those targeted on the Facebook page.

Katherine Bickford, 55, a retired Canadian Forces member whose partner works at 19 Wing Comox, said Thursday she first learned about the site in mid-December and was disgusted at its attacks on gays and lesbians, single-moms, blacks and any military members who weren’t in the Army.

She went to Twitter to denounce the site.

Katherine Bickford of Comox Valley, B.C., says she and her partner were targeted by a Facebook page that belittled gay and lesbian members of the military and other minorities. Military police confirm two arrests have been made.

It wasn’t long after that she became a target herself. Her photo appeared on the site, where she was called “ugly” and other derogatory names, she said. Then more personal information about her was added, including details about her partner, her mother, where she lived and the fact that she is a transsexual woman. The site even posted her birth name.

“This was designed to hurt me, to take away my privacy and rip away my dignity,” Bickford said.

What started out as disgust, then turned to anger, and then fear, she said, when the Facebook site called for “boots on the ground” in Comox.

“I interpreted that as a threat,” she said.

That’s when she contacted police authorities.

Labonte said Thursday the identity of the two Canadian Armed Forces members who were arrested are protected since no charges have been laid.

After the initial Cpl Bloggins Facebook page was taken down, another one popped up under the same name earlier this month. Labonte said that triggered a fresh complaint and a new investigation.

Labonte said she couldn’t comment further on the case.

Bickford, meanwhile, is encouraging others to speak out against what she describes as a “culture of hatred.”

“There is a solution — to be brave,” she said. “Don’t be afraid and report it. Do not tolerate this.”